Living Single
Living Single is an American television sitcom created by Yvette Denise Lee that aired for five seasons on Fox from August 22, 1993, to January 1, 1998. The show centers on the lives of six New York City friends who share personal and professional experiences while living in a Brooklyn brownstone.
Episodes
Plot
Living Single centers on six friends in their 20s who live in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn.The series focuses on two different households in one brownstone, one shared by a trio of independent women and another shared by two men who have been friends since childhood while living in Cleveland, Ohio. In the first apartment, Khadijah James, a hard-working editor and publisher of the fictional urban independent magazine Flavor, lives with her sweet but naive cousin Synclaire James —an aspiring actress who works as Khadijah's receptionist and has an affinity for Troll dolls—and Khadjia's childhood friend from East Orange, New Jersey, Regina "Régine" Hunter —an image-conscious boutique buyer on a constant search for a well-to-do man with which to spend her life, and his money. Later in the series, Régine becomes a costume assistant for the soap opera Palo Alto. When the soap is canceled, she becomes a wedding planner and leaves the apartment to move in with her fiancé, Dexter Knight. Maxine "Max" Shaw, a sharp-tongued Attorney and Khadijah's best friend from their college days at Howard University, frequently stops by to share her unique insights and the events of her day, to make sure that the girls' refrigerator isn't overstocked, and to start trouble with Kyle, looking for any chance to make his life worse.
Kyle Barker lives in the second apartment with Overton Wakefield Jones. Overton is the friendly but bucolic maintenance man for the owner of their building and the one next door. He holds a deep affection for Synclaire and plenty of hilarious homespun wisdom for everyone else. Kyle is a stockbroker whose constant verbal sparring with Maxine does little to mask their obvious sexual attraction to each other. Kyle and Maxine pursue a sexual relationship, but when he decides to take a job in London and invites her to join him, she turns him down.
Maxine subsequently becomes distraught over her decision and, after legally defending a man who claimed to be the second coming of Jesus, she begins to take her life more seriously. Through a series of events, Maxine decides that her purpose is to become a mother. She pursues pregnancy via IVF, and unknowingly selects Kyle's sperm donation based on a list of qualities she would like for her child. Kyle returns in the series finale, and the two reconcile.
Overton and Synclaire also get together, and their relationship culminates in marriage by the end of the fourth season. In season five, they move in together, leaving Overton and Kyle's apartment open for new character Roni DeSantos, a New York-area D.J. It is eventually revealed that DeSantos had a fling with Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams III,, a songwriter whom Khadijah and Régine allowed to move in when Synclaire's room became available. Synclaire joins a comedy improv troupe where she gains the attention of Tony Jonas, a Warner Bros. Television executive, who casts her as a nun for a new comedy series he is developing.
Along with trying to make Flavor a success, Khadijah also looks for Mr. Right. She eventually finds him in childhood friend Scooter, with whom she leaves the brownstone one last time in the series finale.
Cast and characters
Regular cast
- Queen Latifah – Khadijah James, Howard graduate and editor and publisher of Flavor, an independent magazine devoted to the interests of the African-American community.
- Kim Coles – Synclaire James-Jones, Khadijah's good-natured cousin and roommate; receptionist at Flavor and aspiring actress. The role of Synclaire was originally intended for Queen Latifah's long-time friend and collaborator, Monie Love, but she was unable to take the part.
- Kim Fields – Regina "Regine" Hunter, Khadijah and Synclaire's gossip-loving roommate; Khadijah's childhood friend.
- Erika Alexander – Maxine "Max" Felice Shaw, strong-willed attorney, Khadijah's best friend and former college roommate at Howard, who grew up in Mount Airy, Philadelphia; spends most of her time at the women's apartment.
- T.C. Carson – Kyle Barker, stockbroker and Overton's roommate; Max's verbal sparring partner and on-again-off-again love interest.
- John Henton – Overton "Obie" Wakefield Jones, Kyle's roommate and the brownstone's handyman; Synclaire's sweetheart, also co-owner of the apartment complex the gang lived in.
- Mel Jackson – Ira Lee "Tripp" Williams III, Khadijah and Regine's new roommate; aspiring songwriter.
Recurring cast
- Chip Fields — Laverne Hunter, Regine's mother
- Rita Owens — Rita James, Khadijah's mother
- Michael Warren — Ed James, Khadijah's father
- Barbara Montgomery – Nana James, Khadijah's grandmother
- Khalil Kain — Keith, Regine's boyfriend and artist
- Don Franklin — Dexter Knight, Regine's boyfriend turned fiancé
- Cress Williams — Terrence "Scooter" Williams, Khadijah's childhood friend and boyfriend
- Isaiah Washington — Dr. Charles Roberts, Khadijah's anesthesiologist and boyfriend
- Heavy D - Darryl, Regine's boyfriend
- Wayne Federman – Fred Meyer, Maxine's law office colleague
- Shaun Baker — Russell Montego, Jamaican-born music editor at Flavor, in love with Regine.
- Bumper Robinson — Ivan Ennis, Flavor copy aide and journalism major at New York University, in love with Khadijah.
- Idalis DeLeon — Roni DeSantos, popular New York City deejay and Tripp's love interest
Guest cast
- Cylk Cozart – Brad Hamilton, Regine's boyfriend
- Freda Payne – Miss Harper
- Thomas Mikal Ford – Michael Edwards, Synclaire's date
- Jeffrey D. Sams – Greg, Maxine's ex-boyfriend
- Kellita Smith - Susan, Greg's fiancée
- Miguel A. Nunez – Goldie
- Montrose Hagins – Shirley Shortridge
- Marcus Giamatti – Jack Peabody
- Dominic Hoffman – Patrick
- Isabel Sanford – Mrs. Ryan
- Ed McMahon – as himself
- Flip Wilson - as himself
- Dres – as himself
- Nia Long – Stacey Evans
- Terrence Howard – Brendan King
- Cree Summer – Summer
- Morris Chestnut – Hamilton Brown, the new upstairs neighbor
- Michael Jai White – Steve
- Charnele Brown – Jackie
- Arsenio Hall – as himself
- Mark Curry – Tony Ross, Regine's boyfriend, a standup comedian
- Adam Lazarre-White - Alonzo Ford
- Cheryl Miller – Denise Hatcher, Khadijah's school basketball rival
- Branford Marsalis – as himself
- Tamlyn Tomita – Mary, business client of Flavor
- Franklin Cover – Professor Fletcher, Synclaire's teacher
- Michole Briana White — Olivia Imogen Jones, Overton's sister
- Gilbert Gottfried – Lawrence J. Friedlander, telemarketing company owner
- Diana Bellamy – Judge Glazer, the judge at Maxine's trial
- Elayne Boosler – Dr. Sheridan, Regine's doctor
- John Capodice – neighborhood ice cream man
- Deion Sanders – as himself
- Rosie O'Donnell – Sheri, Khadijah's high school friend
- Bobby Bonilla – as himself
- Shemar Moore – Jon Marc, Synclaire's study partner
- Phil Morris – Preston August, Maxine's boss and former boyfriend
- Phil LaMarr – Joe, friend of Regine's boyfriend
- Vanessa A. Williams – Hellura, Kyle's date
- Kadeem Hardison – Marcus Hughes, Village Voice reporter
- Roberto Durán – as himself
- Jenifer Lewis – Delia Deveaux, talk show host
- Will Ferrell – talk show guest
- Bill Erwin – Mr. Foster, store owner
- Regina King – Zina, possible new roommate
- CCH Pounder – Nina Shaw, Maxine's mother
- Gladys Knight — Odelle Jones, Overton's mother
- Antonio Fargas — Otis Jones, Overton's father
- Denise Nicholas — Lilah James, Synclaire's mother
- Ron O'Neal — Clinton James, Synclaire's father
- Kenny Blank - as Damon Barker , Kyle's brother
- Grant Hill – as himself
- John O'Hurley – as Jean Luc Gerard, Regine new boss
- Eartha Kitt – as Jacqueline Richards, Kyle's client
- Alonzo Mourning – as himself
- CCH Pounder – Nina Shaw, Maxine's mother
- Burt Ward – as himself
- Dean Cain – as himself
- Cris Carter – as himself
- Michael Boatman – as Brent, Palo Alto actor
- Dorian Gregory – as Mountie Robeson
- Melvin Van Peebles – Warner Devant, Regine's date
- Mario Van Peebles – Cole Front, Regine's date
- Brian McKnight – as himself
- Jasmine Guy – Dr. Jessica Bryce, Khadijah's therapist
- Dorien Wilson — Rev. Leslie Taylor, pastor at the group's church
- Monica – Marissa, Khadijah's date's sister
- Giancarlo Esposito – Maxine's client
- Tatyana Ali – Stephanie James, Khadijah's half-sister
- Jack Carter – Ray Kellum, eccentric man
- Bobcat Goldthwait – mugger
- Tone Loc – as Lester Tate, picked on Kyle in high school
- Vivica A. Fox – as Darryl's fiancée
- Jeff Blake – as himself
- Sullivan Walker – as Dr. Booker Burghardt Mountebank
- Evander Holyfield – as himself
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – as himself
- Susan L. Taylor – as herself
- Estelle Harris – as Esther Brooks, owner of the brownstone
- CeCe Winans – as LaTrice, in the choir of the group's church
- Sherri Shepherd – comedienne
- Joseph Marcell — Reese, the women's house cleaner
- Jim Brown – as himself
- Tracy Vilar – as Ava Rivera
- Desmond Howard – as himself
- Marsha Warfield – Agnes Finch, cruise social director
- Montell Jordan – as himself
- Cedric Ceballos – as himself
- Chaka Khan – as herself
- Keyshawn Johnson – as himself
- Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins – hitchhiker
- Harold Perrineau – Walter Jackson, Maxine's client
- Joyce DeWitt – as herself